Military
The evolving future of US Army aviation will be on display September 15-16 at Dugway Proving Ground, Utah, as three of the service’s project offices—Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Apache Attack Helicopter and Armed Scout Helicopter—stage an exercise demonstrating how manned and unmanned aircraft can work together in combat.
Military
The Obama administration has turned down a Turkish request for the deployment of US Predators at Turkish bases until Ankara stops threatening Israel with armed attack, according to DEBKAfile. Turkey has no functioning unmanned aircraft at present. Israeli officialdom and military chiefs are doing their utmost to keep the lid
Data Links & Communications
Northrop Grumman has introduced an unmanned aircraft data management system to the European market, to allow troops on the ground to "eliminate the tunnel-vision of the battlefield". The HART (Heterogeneous Airborne Reconnaissance Team) allows soldiers at small unit level without their own UAS to benefit from the plethora
Military
Following Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s complaint last week that Israel delayed the delivery of Herons that Turkey sent to the country for maintenance, a new report revealed that Turkey has been dealing with Israel on maintenance issues for a long time. Ankara purchased three Aerostars from Israeli company
Military
South Korea’s plan to acquire four Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Block 30 Global Hawks,has moved a step closer. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency is likely to notify Congress in the coming weeks about the possible sale of the aircraft and one ground system. US government officials familiar with
Military
The Obama administration is considering a request from Turkey to base a fleet of Predators on Turkish soil for counterterrorism operations in northern Iraq. The decision could strengthen a diplomatic alliance but drag the United States deeper into a regional conflict. The U.S. military has flown unarmed Predators from
VTOL
The US Navy has outlined the details of a 15-month competition to start later this month to select an unmanned helicopter that could be purchased in the hundreds by the end of this decade. The medium-range, multi-role unmanned aircraft system (MRMUAS) contract has already drawn interest from at least three
Testing
Operational trials with the British Army's Watchkeeper remain on track to start next month, after the WK450 aircraft set a new endurance record in testing. Major Matt Moore, SO2 UAS for headquarters, Royal Artillery, said that a WK450 completed an almost 14 hour flight in early September from
Business
AeroVironment, Inc. announced that it received a $15,909,962 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract order on September 1, 2011, under an existing contract with the US Army. The order comprises Army contractor logistics support for Raven systems. The logistics support services are scheduled to be delivered within the next several months. "
Military
Thales UK’s Hermes 450 unmanned aircraft fleet has reached a major milestone, having now flown more than 50,000 operational flying hours in support of UK operations. After more than 4,000 sorties, the Hermes 450 system continues to deliver crucial battle-winning capability, providing the lion’s share of
Military
A combined, unmanned reconnaissance and attack system developed under a collaborative programme between Germany and Israel has recently passed an important milestone, demonstrating the integration of two unmanned aircraft systems – the Rheinmetall Defense KZO aerial reconnaissance drone and IAI’s loitering weapon – the Harop. The highlight of the test was
Military
The Lockheed Martin-led unmanned K-MAX team successfully completed a five-day Quick Reaction Assessment (QRA) for the U.S. Navy's Cargo Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) programme. "The autonomous flying K-MAX is designed to resupply Marines on the battlefield and in remote locations," said Roger Il Grande, director